The coffee cup existence measures what is important by what holds its attention. Abram encountered many of the same conjectures in his day. People born of the false illusions were called pagans. Now under veiled acceptance, the pagans have all disappeared. But the cosmos resonated with a different drumbeat for Abram. He built altars to the Lord. The smoke rose to the heavens in a potent reminder that God is here despite all the evidence to the contrary. There is evil. Pagans are in the land. Life holds mysteries and dilemmas. But these do not erase God’s presence but serve as the reason for calling upon one’s God.
God sustained and strengthened Abram in the land of the kings. He was not to be wooed by their gifts and pledges. Desperation brings its own alliances. But Abram was to be spared. So in the midst of the kings, another king appears. He is Melchizedec—king of righteousness and king of peace. Here comes very wine and bread to remind of God’s nearness and presence. Here comes Real Communion to deliver grasping for tokens of the little kings. Who can compare to the Almighty? Worship speaks, “Double dare. Bully if you do.”
Worship is more than praising God. It bears His reality upon the days of man. It strives against the besetting circumstances. They no longer confound in the face of Glory. Abram received such a blessing. “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heavens and Earth.” The Lord may be supplanted in the heart of man in philosophy, religion, and science. But He will never be removed as Possessor of the Cosmos.
How did Abram respond? He would tell the king of Sodom that his tokens had no sway. Not a thread or sandal could ever be used to enrich God’s servant. But what is the typical response? Is it to turn to the Possessor of the heavens; to turn from the enshrinement of the “here and now”? Or do many instead reach for threads and sandal over the supposed misfortune of being steadfast? What happens when worship no longer inoculates against the persistent Now - when confessions come from worried hearts and hymns flow from minds fixed on the horizons of tomorrow and not on those grander eternal shores?
Friday, April 3, 2009
When does LIFE begin?
One of the transforming dimensions of the Gospel is how it approaches the “here and now” It comes with the hallelujah cry of “here and forever”. It speaks in contradiction to here and now thinking . The voices of today make their pronouncements. “Live for the moment.” “Grab it while you can.” And what does the Gospel say? “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life.” “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” Life begins at a different point than what the world says.
Can you imagine my friend what it’s like to stumble out of the tomb? I shielded my eyes with my hands for the sunlight was too bright. The sky was this incredible blue, bluer than I had ever seen. The Light was shining in my world. A shadowy figure approached me. “Lazarus.” Immediately I knew who He was—my brother, my friend, my Lord. He reached out His hand and grabbed my shoulder. The Lord stood there with this fantastic grin. What an experience, to walk out of the tomb by the Power from on High, knowing your best Friend in all the world had brought you back to life. This was the Gospel in flesh and bone.
Set your mind on the things above and not on the things below. Man was warned for good reason. The cosmos can be a dangerous intersection. Attempts have been made to make God relevant to this world. But then God does not need to become relevant to this world. After all, He is the Divine Being, the Great I am. But it is this world and its timestamp that needs to be made relevant to God.
There is another world beyond this one. Ask me how I know! I had an idea before—but now, I really know. Coming back from the dead changes everything and it sure changed me. I am not the same Lazarus they put in the tomb. That old “Zee”, as my friends used to call me, was gone. I am a new person and very different from the one my friends used to know, including my sisters.
It is hard to argue against a time warp. Tell that to Mary and Martha. “Lord, You should have been there. You could have saved our brother.” The day I died hit my sisters very hard. They told me the story over and over again how they went to the Teacher. And they clearly did not understand what was happening. But the Teacher had planned all along that He would bring me back from the dead. “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” The world, including my two sisters, needed to see it.
This is the age of reason and enlightenment? Then when does life begin? I will tell you. It is when the Lord Creator, the power of the universe, Designer of the cosmos hits you right between the eyes. He gave me second life and I was not prepared for what was going to happen. This one startled me more than any other. And this is it. I no longer belonged to this world. I didn’t fit in. The full Gospel dimension that calls us from this life to the better life—the Life from on High, the great I Am life, had lifted me beyond all my earthly desires and worldly concerns.
Can you imagine my friend what it’s like to stumble out of the tomb? I shielded my eyes with my hands for the sunlight was too bright. The sky was this incredible blue, bluer than I had ever seen. The Light was shining in my world. A shadowy figure approached me. “Lazarus.” Immediately I knew who He was—my brother, my friend, my Lord. He reached out His hand and grabbed my shoulder. The Lord stood there with this fantastic grin. What an experience, to walk out of the tomb by the Power from on High, knowing your best Friend in all the world had brought you back to life. This was the Gospel in flesh and bone.
Set your mind on the things above and not on the things below. Man was warned for good reason. The cosmos can be a dangerous intersection. Attempts have been made to make God relevant to this world. But then God does not need to become relevant to this world. After all, He is the Divine Being, the Great I am. But it is this world and its timestamp that needs to be made relevant to God.
There is another world beyond this one. Ask me how I know! I had an idea before—but now, I really know. Coming back from the dead changes everything and it sure changed me. I am not the same Lazarus they put in the tomb. That old “Zee”, as my friends used to call me, was gone. I am a new person and very different from the one my friends used to know, including my sisters.
It is hard to argue against a time warp. Tell that to Mary and Martha. “Lord, You should have been there. You could have saved our brother.” The day I died hit my sisters very hard. They told me the story over and over again how they went to the Teacher. And they clearly did not understand what was happening. But the Teacher had planned all along that He would bring me back from the dead. “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” The world, including my two sisters, needed to see it.
This is the age of reason and enlightenment? Then when does life begin? I will tell you. It is when the Lord Creator, the power of the universe, Designer of the cosmos hits you right between the eyes. He gave me second life and I was not prepared for what was going to happen. This one startled me more than any other. And this is it. I no longer belonged to this world. I didn’t fit in. The full Gospel dimension that calls us from this life to the better life—the Life from on High, the great I Am life, had lifted me beyond all my earthly desires and worldly concerns.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Skullstackers in Sackcloth
40 days of purpose. 40 days of prayer. 40 days to find yourself. Just believe! That may work in some parts. But it won’t fly in any serious skull heaping metro. Slogans won’t turn this dead town around. If this is going to work, it will take something beyond a tee shirt to get the job done. Jonah’s dead man walking was a pretty good start.
Believe. It’s such an easy concept, especially for a hunkering bohemian whose appetite for destruction is not easily sated. It is easier to believe in black holes that swallow distant universes. Just how does one believe in phenomena that is not available on this planet? The new science is being heralded by the prophets. They are making discoveries from the Great Ocean of Truth before a lip smacking crowd dieing in anticipation. This was not the case for this wary lot in Ninevah. They would not fall for simple ostentation.
What is faith? How does one come to it? Can the hand reach and wrestle it from the Great Ocean of Truth? What would make a skull stacker consider a totally different view of life? Let those looking for a new universe also weigh the evidence. Here are skull stackers in sackcloth. No simple word of man brought this about. The king himself has spoken. Even the animals are to bear the sins and regrets of this forbidden land. This is a brand new cosmic constellation of the heavens.
Believe. It’s such an easy concept, especially for a hunkering bohemian whose appetite for destruction is not easily sated. It is easier to believe in black holes that swallow distant universes. Just how does one believe in phenomena that is not available on this planet? The new science is being heralded by the prophets. They are making discoveries from the Great Ocean of Truth before a lip smacking crowd dieing in anticipation. This was not the case for this wary lot in Ninevah. They would not fall for simple ostentation.
What is faith? How does one come to it? Can the hand reach and wrestle it from the Great Ocean of Truth? What would make a skull stacker consider a totally different view of life? Let those looking for a new universe also weigh the evidence. Here are skull stackers in sackcloth. No simple word of man brought this about. The king himself has spoken. Even the animals are to bear the sins and regrets of this forbidden land. This is a brand new cosmic constellation of the heavens.
"Worldlings We Are!"
“I came that you may have Life and have it abundantly.” Words really fail to grasp what the Good Shepherd offers. “Abundantly” is favored by some. But how many would claim to already have an abundant life? Of course, it is on their terms—BMW’s, stock options, executive salaries. What is offered here is more beyond-anything-you-can-think-of Life! It is the full Life, the plural Life that “I have come that you may have Life.” There is a difference between Life and existence. One can have existence and not be Alive. Isn’t that the message here? Worldlings have fallen for the illusion that this is all there is. They live by the dictates of fate and circumstance. These are their shepherds guiding in the pastures of here and now. The Great Ocean of Truth are dangerous waters. Better guides to man fallible senses are needed. The Good Shepherd steps forward. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
“Worldlings we are!” This is the confronting message of the Gospel. Man has settled for existence. He will build the towers of self-importance and create and define life according to his terms. Beware you brood of existentialists! The Good Shepherd speaks the only terms. “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” Quite the indictment is spoken across the Cosmos to man who is still trying to find himself in this universe. How many years have the earthlings pointed radar to listen to alternative messages from deep space? There is that deep and desperate hope that Man is not alone. Yet he lives for himself denying the influence of any Intelligent Creator? What an amazing contradiction.
“Worldlings we are!” This is the confronting message of the Gospel. Man has settled for existence. He will build the towers of self-importance and create and define life according to his terms. Beware you brood of existentialists! The Good Shepherd speaks the only terms. “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” Quite the indictment is spoken across the Cosmos to man who is still trying to find himself in this universe. How many years have the earthlings pointed radar to listen to alternative messages from deep space? There is that deep and desperate hope that Man is not alone. Yet he lives for himself denying the influence of any Intelligent Creator? What an amazing contradiction.
The Gerasenes Mk 5
Battles embitter. Egos escalate. Reason, like an archer, releases arrows of contempt. Strident horses bring their champions. What king ever walks away? They either conquer or die conquered. What king...just….walks away?
And all the people in that region begged...go away.
Such is the siege of the Gospel. It does not force itself upon the Gerasenes. They live taken over by the spirits of the age. Yes, they could see perhaps his benefits if they were living as madmen upon the tombstones and cutting themselves and following each other with constant curses.
But who thinks upon the grave when there is so much sanity to occupy and tomorrows to face? The Gerasense feared losing themselves in the contest with Jesus. It may have fared well for the demoniac. Tell others they can have Jesus if only they are willing to give up this life. See how quickly the Gerasene emerges. “Go away. Leave us alone.”
The sane and logical have the most to lose as all Gerasenes know. It is their cunning grasp of the now. They live by the momentary lapse of reason. They are most impressed by the hour. The possession of the demoniac was more obvious. But the possession of the Gerasense was just as insidious.
But the siege of the Gospel is quite different from all others. But then it comes from the heart of no ordinary king. The King has been asked to leave and so He leaves. At least they thought He was going away, that was the impression He gave. But He leaves something of Himself behind.
The crazy man who was now in his right mind, came to the only logical conclusion in town. Get out! The people had driven his Savior away. They were rushing headlong over the cliffs of time. What an impetuous lot they were.
Time possession. The signs are most telling. Calendars. Appointments. Desk planners. Alarms. Wrinkles.
“No, go back to your family and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” The Gerasenses thought that they had had enough of Jesus. So Jesus leaves the madman behind. The Gospel was laying siege one madman at a time. How grateful the Gerasenses should have been. This was no ordinary king. No homage was demanded. Not a reed will He break. He calms the angry sea. He casts demons by command. And when the Gerasenes ask leave, He turns and takes a boat.
The Gospel counters the vision of the world with one of its own. The world is swayed by the now, the moment, time possession, fixation on what is before the eye. Who has not noticed this at the cemetery? Someone hits “pause”. It is a frightening moment for the Gerasenses and one they never get used to. Appointments have to be rescheduled. Usual routines are set aside.
Discontinuity pushes forward like a fat woman in a buffet line and pies upon pies are baked in some unreflective motion. Days are spent sharing tales of the madman among the relatives. And then something interesting happens. Someone once again “unpauses” and life resumes once more.
The madman was not to return to his family to discover what he had missed out on. “The neighbors down the street had a fire a year ago and last May one of the girls was married off in a spectacular affair.” Momma had a lot of catching up to do and she was game. But the prodigal from the cemetery had come home instead to tell his family what they had been missing their whole lives by a constant over focus on the now and hogs and making it big. Time possession.
And all the people in that region begged...go away.
Such is the siege of the Gospel. It does not force itself upon the Gerasenes. They live taken over by the spirits of the age. Yes, they could see perhaps his benefits if they were living as madmen upon the tombstones and cutting themselves and following each other with constant curses.
But who thinks upon the grave when there is so much sanity to occupy and tomorrows to face? The Gerasense feared losing themselves in the contest with Jesus. It may have fared well for the demoniac. Tell others they can have Jesus if only they are willing to give up this life. See how quickly the Gerasene emerges. “Go away. Leave us alone.”
The sane and logical have the most to lose as all Gerasenes know. It is their cunning grasp of the now. They live by the momentary lapse of reason. They are most impressed by the hour. The possession of the demoniac was more obvious. But the possession of the Gerasense was just as insidious.
But the siege of the Gospel is quite different from all others. But then it comes from the heart of no ordinary king. The King has been asked to leave and so He leaves. At least they thought He was going away, that was the impression He gave. But He leaves something of Himself behind.
The crazy man who was now in his right mind, came to the only logical conclusion in town. Get out! The people had driven his Savior away. They were rushing headlong over the cliffs of time. What an impetuous lot they were.
Time possession. The signs are most telling. Calendars. Appointments. Desk planners. Alarms. Wrinkles.
“No, go back to your family and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” The Gerasenses thought that they had had enough of Jesus. So Jesus leaves the madman behind. The Gospel was laying siege one madman at a time. How grateful the Gerasenses should have been. This was no ordinary king. No homage was demanded. Not a reed will He break. He calms the angry sea. He casts demons by command. And when the Gerasenes ask leave, He turns and takes a boat.
The Gospel counters the vision of the world with one of its own. The world is swayed by the now, the moment, time possession, fixation on what is before the eye. Who has not noticed this at the cemetery? Someone hits “pause”. It is a frightening moment for the Gerasenses and one they never get used to. Appointments have to be rescheduled. Usual routines are set aside.
Discontinuity pushes forward like a fat woman in a buffet line and pies upon pies are baked in some unreflective motion. Days are spent sharing tales of the madman among the relatives. And then something interesting happens. Someone once again “unpauses” and life resumes once more.
The madman was not to return to his family to discover what he had missed out on. “The neighbors down the street had a fire a year ago and last May one of the girls was married off in a spectacular affair.” Momma had a lot of catching up to do and she was game. But the prodigal from the cemetery had come home instead to tell his family what they had been missing their whole lives by a constant over focus on the now and hogs and making it big. Time possession.
The Child King
Love came streaking across the skies of Dead Planet. A Child King would come to a most unlikely couple. A young virgin was to have a child. The Cosmos was ready to be born again. Here was news the heavens would declare with the shout of angels. A Babe was to bring a new kingdom. The Promise given in the Garden was stepping forth. The Word became flesh and dwelt among the inhabitants of this cold, dark world. The Light was about to shine. The One from beyond the stars would speak His golden words.
The God-among-man was here. I remember the first time I saw Him. He looked like one of us, dressed in the fashion of his day. But His Words of Life betrayed Him. This was no ordinary man from Judea circa 3 AD. He spoke in distant tones to this planet. There was no easy surrender. The dead world hypnosis with its “here and now” was going to be challenged. But who would listen? The Temple shouted its own tradition and reputations. It became a box of its own making. The new Herald of Eternity did not fit.
“Listen all you boxes of religion.” The other boxes received Him not. The big box of riches said He was too poor. The box of Now said His concerns were not important. The box of existence said things were fine just the way they were. All the boxes rejected Him and turned away. The Good News was that the Wonder of the universe cared little for the boxes and all their fine traditions. He was more concerned for the inhabitants of dead world and dead life caught inside them. He came to free them, not to fit in the boxes. Woe to the boxes.
“This girl is not dead but sleeping.” Little did the boxes know. But the One from the beyond-Life was just beginning to shine. The little boxes had a good laugh. But then the girl awoke into a new horizon and crossed the boundary of death before their very eyes. This was more upsetting than anything to the little boxes. How could they go on living as though nothing had happened? Would their seats of honor at the Temple mean as much as they did in the past? The little girl come back from the dead was going to be very unsettling. The dead do not give up their dead easily. What else had they gotten wrong?
The God-among-man was here. I remember the first time I saw Him. He looked like one of us, dressed in the fashion of his day. But His Words of Life betrayed Him. This was no ordinary man from Judea circa 3 AD. He spoke in distant tones to this planet. There was no easy surrender. The dead world hypnosis with its “here and now” was going to be challenged. But who would listen? The Temple shouted its own tradition and reputations. It became a box of its own making. The new Herald of Eternity did not fit.
“Listen all you boxes of religion.” The other boxes received Him not. The big box of riches said He was too poor. The box of Now said His concerns were not important. The box of existence said things were fine just the way they were. All the boxes rejected Him and turned away. The Good News was that the Wonder of the universe cared little for the boxes and all their fine traditions. He was more concerned for the inhabitants of dead world and dead life caught inside them. He came to free them, not to fit in the boxes. Woe to the boxes.
“This girl is not dead but sleeping.” Little did the boxes know. But the One from the beyond-Life was just beginning to shine. The little boxes had a good laugh. But then the girl awoke into a new horizon and crossed the boundary of death before their very eyes. This was more upsetting than anything to the little boxes. How could they go on living as though nothing had happened? Would their seats of honor at the Temple mean as much as they did in the past? The little girl come back from the dead was going to be very unsettling. The dead do not give up their dead easily. What else had they gotten wrong?
Jeremiah's Prayer
“You are the Great and Powerful God”, even while Jerusalem and its Temple are destroyed. “You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles”, and still does not ask God to reverse his misfortune. Jeremiah held to different vistas than what mere human perception could have seen.
Are personal fortunes at risk? Is the consensus against God Himself growing in the capital cities? Is the church herself being taken again in some strange Babylonian captivity? More Jeremiah prayers are needed. Prayers—not that ask God for bended knee to bring our requested solutions— that bring us to even greater perspectives. God is in control even during the personal and national tragedies. Our misfortunes and circumstances do not tie His hands or begin to measure who He is. The toppled stones of daily living do not predict future hope. Yahweh Ya-rah. Evil has been taken in hand. Faith alone sees this. The lower life cannot and is moved to fear by thunder rolling across the stormy skies of life.
The Jeremiah prayer prevented the confusing hour from swamping the larger focus. Such hours ask, “where is God?” “Why did He permit this?” “Doesn’t He care that we perish?” The box of human understanding demands God to be God on its terms. Sit God, sit! Rollover God, rollover! Do what we want. Here, fetch.
Are personal fortunes at risk? Is the consensus against God Himself growing in the capital cities? Is the church herself being taken again in some strange Babylonian captivity? More Jeremiah prayers are needed. Prayers—not that ask God for bended knee to bring our requested solutions— that bring us to even greater perspectives. God is in control even during the personal and national tragedies. Our misfortunes and circumstances do not tie His hands or begin to measure who He is. The toppled stones of daily living do not predict future hope. Yahweh Ya-rah. Evil has been taken in hand. Faith alone sees this. The lower life cannot and is moved to fear by thunder rolling across the stormy skies of life.
The Jeremiah prayer prevented the confusing hour from swamping the larger focus. Such hours ask, “where is God?” “Why did He permit this?” “Doesn’t He care that we perish?” The box of human understanding demands God to be God on its terms. Sit God, sit! Rollover God, rollover! Do what we want. Here, fetch.
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